


Ad Libitum

by rolerei



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Alcohol, Alternate Universe - Punk, First Meetings, Kissing, M/M, Smoking
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-13
Updated: 2020-05-13
Packaged: 2021-03-03 02:07:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,976
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24167086
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rolerei/pseuds/rolerei
Summary: In an attempt to get acknowledged as a professional, Prompto shadowed another photographer who was hired at a local rock festival. Then the band called Kingsglaives played on the stage, led by their charismatic vocalist Nyx Ulric - and suddenly Prompto forgot all about photography.
Relationships: Prompto Argentum/Nyx Ulric
Comments: 8
Kudos: 32
Collections: Glaiveweek2020





	Ad Libitum

**Author's Note:**

> This fic was written for Glaiveweek 2020 day 3's General Theme: Alternate Universe.

The warmth of the heater hit Prompto's face the second he stepped into the door. He immediately found himself inside what seemed like a bar, and it was packed already with people. Most of them were holding a glass of beer or wine in their hands and chatting with another person nearby. Black leather jackets and tattoos seemed to be a recurring theme, as well as piercings: from the ears to the lip, nose, eyebrows. He also saw men and women alike with one or both sides of their head shaved.

A typical punk scene, Prompto thought.

The blond subconsciously pulled the strap of his camera bag closer to himself. Side effect of pop culture stereotypes, perhaps. Or perhaps there were simply too many people around. Prompto wasn't used to taking his camera in such crowded places… or any place with people for that matter. Such tendencies had been fine when he was still in school and just started out with photography as a hobby. But once he wanted to make it as a professional, he needed to stop taking still lives and finally learn how to take pictures of _people._

After all, it was the people that actually paid for the photographs. And most of the time people wanted pictures taken of themselves.

Which was why Prompto had decided to join a photography club. He was lucky enough that, on the first meetup, he managed to strike up a friendship with a guy called Dino Ghiranze - who turned out to have several steady gigs as a photographer. Already a pro, basically. It took Prompto awhile (and after a few glasses of beer, to boot) to finally admit his lack of experience photographing actual people to Dino. 

"Well, funnily enough, I just got hired to take photos of this cool local rock festival. Why don't you tag along?" Dino suggested. "You get to practice photographing people, enjoy some good music, and the organizers can even cover your expenses since you're coming with me. What do you think?"

Fast forward to a couple of weeks later, there they were.

Prompto turned around, trying to make sure that Dino was actually walking in after him and not deliberately letting him be lost in the crowd.

“Hey, Dino,” he called out. When his voice ended up being swallowed by the white noise around them, Prompto ended up nudging Dino's side with an elbow. “Hey, buddy. Over here. The place looks packed already… are you sure we’re not too late?”

“Huh? Oh, no, we should still be on time.”

Dino patted Prompto's shoulder before taking off his own winter coat. With an all-black outfit that included a scarlet tie and leather harness, he fit right at home among the other patrons. His perfectly gelled-up hair barely moved when he turned to face Prompto. “The first show starts in 15 minutes - and these kinds of events are usually running late anyway. Don’t worry!”

Prompto sighed. "Alright, if you say so…" He had absolutely no idea what to expect, so there was no other option but to follow the older man.

"The bar's that way, by the way." Dino gestured with his chin to the right. "What do you want to drink?"

“Beer,” Prompto replied before offering a helping hand. “I’ll hang your coat if you’re getting the first round. What do you think?”

Dino flashed a million watt smile. “Deal. I’ll wait at the bar, then.”

“Alright. See ya.”

Prompto took Dino's coat before wading through the sea of people. It took him a couple of minutes to reach the coat hangers, and they were already full. Sighing, Prompto shifted both his coat and Dino's on one shoulder, freeing up both of his hands so he could make some space.

It turned out to be… more difficult than he had anticipated. Despite Prompto's efforts to dig up the pile of coats, there was yet another layer coming up. Prompto was so close to giving up and just throwing the coats on top of the humongous pile when another pair of hands easily lifted most of the stuff that got in his way.

“Here, I got ya,” the guy said, smiling.

“Ah, thanks a lot.”

Prompto finally found the hooks to hang the coats from, and then helped the guy pile the rest of the other coats on it. Once that was done, Prompto immediately checked his camera bag - hoping that everything was still intact after all those wading through the crowd and winter coats.

"Oh? You got a nice camera there," the guy pointed out. "Are you here to take pictures of the concert?"

"Well, yeah, but… not in official capacity," admitted Prompto. Now that he didn't have other people's coats in his line of sight, Prompto finally could see that - beyond the sides-shave and facial tattoos - the guy who had just helped him actually had the bluest eyes that he'd ever seen. And that _smile_ … Prompto averted his gaze back down to his camera. "... I'm here with Dino. He's the official photographer for the event."

"Ah, yeah. I know Dino. He's a cool guy," he said. "Well, good luck tonight! And I guess I'll see you around the festival."

"Yeah, you too."

It was only after Prompto left for the bar that he realized how stupid he must have sounded, wishing good luck back to the guy. It fueled him to search through the crowd even more diligently until he finally spotted Dino.

“Hey, there you are,” Dino called out. “Here you go. One beer, as agreed.”

“Ugh, yes, please.” Prompto took the glass from Dino’s hand and downed a few gulpfuls gladly. From beyond the edge of the beer glass, he could see Dino snickering.

“Come on, let’s get to the concert hall. The first show should start any minute now.”

* * *

Prompto thought the bar was full already, but the concert hall was… much worse.

It was difficult to move in the packed space. But being graced with the misfortune of not being too tall - as well as the fact that both he and Dino were meant to be taking pictures of the stage - they were left with no other choice but to slip their way through to the front. Already within five minutes, Prompto managed to spill his beer. Thankfully, none of it was on his camera.

“… I’m regretting us getting beer already,” Prompto half-shouted, half-murmured at Dino, who was leading the way ahead.

Dino laughed before showing off his own empty glass. “The trick is to drink it all before even stepping into the hall, my young apprentice.”

Prompto rolled his eyes, but nevertheless committed to remembering Dino’s advice for next time.

It took forever for the two of them to finally reach the front row. On the stage, a guy with dirty blond hair and cheekbones that could probably cut papers walked towards the spotlight and took a microphone from its stand.

“Good evening, Insomnia,” his voice reverberated from the giant speakers that flanked the stage. “My name is Luche Lazarus. On behalf of Rock Insomniac’s organizers, I’d like to say thank you for attending tonight. We got a lot of great artists and bands lined up, and we’re so excited to have you see them live.”

Prompto turned to see Dino aiming his camera on Luche while the guy was giving his speech. A silent curse escaped Prompto's lips before he, too, scrambled to his camera bag.

“... That said and done, I have one question to ask you all: _are you ready to rock?!_ ”

The crowd hooted and yelled in reply - and most alarmingly, they started to _push forward_ to the stage. Prompto couldn’t help but yelp as he tried his best to remain standing and - most importantly - not drop his camera as he stood there holding the gadget in one hand and a half-full beer glass in another.

“Then give it to our first performers tonight… Kingsglaives!”

Prompto looked up just in time to see the band members stroll onto the stage amid the hoots and applause. One of them took over the microphone from Luche and placed it back on the stand. It was actually the guy that had helped him earlier with the coats. Prompto immediately felt his jaw drop.

“Good evening, everyone. We are Kingsglaives,” he said to the microphone before glancing right and left at his bandmates.

The girl on the bass nodded, then gave a signal to the drummer. Soon enough, the entire concert hall was filled with moderately fast drumming patterns, followed with loud chords from the electric guitar. Then the guy leaned in to the microphone, his ice-blue eyes shone under the stage lights - and he began to sing.

 _The days go by and things get worse_ _  
_ _But they say they can only get better_ _  
_ _I try to make a dent_ _  
_ _But it blends in with all the damage_

 _I try to look the other way_ _  
_ _But there's a mirror behind me_ _  
_ _I see images of what can be done_ _  
_ _It seems like I'm the only one_

Prompto would only realize later, after the entire song was sung, that he was actually holding his breath the entire time.

And he also completely forgot to take a single picture of the entire performance.

* * *

Eventually, the concerts came to a break. Prompto and Dino, along with what seemed to be hundreds of other spectators, spilled out of the dark concert hall towards the bar. Most of Prompto's beer was gone at that point, yet he was still mostly sober. And his camera, too, was miraculously still intact.

A tired sigh escaped Prompto's lips. Taking pictures of people and events was so draining. If this had to continue for the entire night, he was going to need a stronger stimulus than alcohol…

“Hey, Dino,” he called out once, and then twice, until he caught the photographer's attention. “I’m gonna go outside for a smoke. Do you want to join?”

“Huh? Oh no, thanks. I don’t smoke.” Dino flashed his million-watts smile yet again. “I can get your glass back to the bar, though.”

“Thanks. I’ll be right back.”

Prompto handed Dino his empty beer glass and sneaked his way through the crowd. The cravings grew stronger with each step that he took, now that the idea of smoking had materialized in his mind. Cold, refreshing wind greeted his face - a stark opposite to when he just arrived - the moment he opened the door and stepped outside.

Reflexively, Prompto pulled his vest tighter around his torso before pulling out a lighter and a pack of cigarettes from a pocket on his camera bag. A soft, grateful sigh escaped him as soon as he took the first drag.

His thoughts eventually wandered to the performances that he just saw. And by performances, what Prompto really meant was the one by that Kingsglaives band. It was so difficult to get his eyes off of the vocalist for the entire show, how the man's presence simply filled up the stage. At the end of their slot, after having introduced the rest of the band members, he introduced himself as Nyx Ulric. Prompto tried to repeat the name, relishing the way the syllables rolled on his tongue along with the nicotine.

Then, the door of the bar was pushed open. Prompto turned just in time to see that it was none other than Nyx Ulric himself that had stepped out, together with his band’s guitarist (Pelna… was it?). His blue eyes darted around before they stopped on Prompto's, and the blond's heart immediately skipped a beat.

“Hey. We meet again,” Nyx greeted with a smile. “Mind if I borrow your lighter?”

“Not at all,” replied Prompto automatically, holding out his lighter.

“Thanks. You’re a lifesaver.”

Nyx flashed a wink and Prompto thought he might as well combust right then and there. In an attempt to avoid embarrassing himself further, Prompto turned to Pelna. “Hey. Do you need a lighter, too?”

“Yeah, sure. I left mine backstage, for some reason… so dumb.”

“Stage jitters, man,” Nyx chimed in, shaking his head. The braids that were hidden in his dark hair moved along with him.

After Nyx was done lighting his cigarette, he handed Prompto's lighter to Pelna, who in turn returned it to him. For a moment afterwards, the three of them spent the silence together in the cold evening air, smoking. All the while, Prompto was trying hard not to glance at Nyx too often.

“So, did you manage to get some good pictures?”

Nyx’s question appeared out of the blue and was enough to make Prompto almost jolt. He tried to play it cool, though, clearing his throat before replying, “Yeah, well… can’t really say much until I go through them later.”

Nyx whistled. “Sounds like a true pro.”

Prompto chuckled dryly. Eventually, it was Pelna who rescued him by asking, “What do you think of the performances, by the way? Did the sound come out alright?”

“Eh, I guess so?” Prompto shrugged. “I mean, I can hear your entire band just fine.”

“Hmm, good.” Pelna nodded. “Guess that was just a problem with the monitor that you had, Nyx.”

“Hmm, okay.” Nyx paused to take a long drag from his cigarette. “Hope they get it fixed by the time we get on the stage.”

Prompto flicked one interested eyebrow. “You guys are performing again later?”

“Yeah, half an hour after midnight,” answered Pelna with a grin. “Are you going to be there?”

“Yeah, of course,” answered Prompto, partly out of reflex and partly assuming that Dino would have to stay until the end. He was hired to photograph the festival, after all.

“Sweet.”

Nyx smiled, and Prompto once again forgot to breathe. “I suppose you have to go back inside once the break's over?”

“Um… I don't think I have to.” The blond paused to look away from Nyx's intense eyes, masking it as blowing away a draft of smoke. "I need to find Dino, though, so maybe I will."

"I see… well, do you want to see something cool before you leave?"

This time, Prompto couldn't help but drink in the sight of Nyx's handsome face. Lips curled into a smile, a cigarette poking out of one corner… he couldn't help but think that the vocalist was up to no good - in a fun, adventurous kind of way.

Prompto took a moment to inhale and then exhale a drag of smoke before replying, "Sure. Why not?"

“Heh, thought so. Come on. You too, Pelna.”

“Why? Can’t I just stay here smoking in peace while you’re recruiting groupies?”

Prompto blushed furiously until he saw Pelna’s grin. “Just joking. I am in. Wait until I finish this one cig…”

Nyx rolled his beautiful blue eyes before waving him off. “Be quick already.”

“Alright, alright. Get off my back.”

It took a few more minutes before the three of them disposed of their cigarette butts and headed back to the venue’s entrance.

* * *

Prompto thought they were heading for the bar. But they didn't. 

Instead, the three of them took a left after the entrance and entered through the fire door towards what Prompto assumed to be the emergency staircase.

"Wow. Did you hear that acoustic?" Nyx asked before momentarily closing his eyes. When he opened them again, he started to sing. His voice sounded crisp and clear as it resounded off the walls and the stairs, and Prompto couldn't help but agree that the acoustic of this spot (whatever that may have been) really was good.

Next to Prompto, Pelna chuckled and shook his head. "What a damn diva," he muttered before strolling over to sit on the stairs and took his guitar out of the bag that he was carrying on his back. Then he started to pick at the strings, playing melodious chords that matched Nyx's singing.

 _Twenty twenty twenty four hours to go_ _  
_ _I wanna be sedated_ _  
_ _Nothing to do, nowhere to go oh_ _  
_ _I wanna be sedated_

 _Just get me to the airport, put me on a plane_ _  
_ _Hurry hurry hurry, before I go insane_ _  
_ _I can't control my fingers, I can't control my brain_ _  
_ _Oh no oh oh oh oh_

Prompto was beyond entranced by their playing, not believing that he was invited to see it in the first place. Despite not knowing how to make music, he did have a feeling that this kind of occurrence didn't happen so often.

Luckily enough, this time, Prompto remembered that he had his camera. He took it out of the bag and aimed the camera carefully on both Pelna and Nyx, who at that point were sitting on the emergency steps jamming together, and took a few shots.

* * *

The magic from the spontaneous show still lingered even after Prompto parted ways with Pelna and Nyx and joined in the crowd at the bar. In fact, it dazed the blond enough that he forgot that he was supposed to squeeze through the concert hall to get to where Dino was. Instead, Prompto sat by the bar waiting for the other man to show up.

Luckily, Dino didn't wait until the next break to get out of the hall. Prompto noticed him exiting and raised his hand up high to get the photographer's attention.

"Hey, Prompto! I was just looking for you," greeted Dino.

"Yeah… sorry. My dumbass thought I should've waited for you here."

Dino waved his hand nonchalantly. "Don't worry about it. The bands aren't as good as the ones in the previous session, so you're not missing much.

"Anyway… I got a bit of bad news to deliver. I hope you don't mind?"

Prompto blinked. "Uhh, no, not at all. What is it?"

"You see… I got a bit of an emergency at home," explained Dino. "My boyfriend's not feeling so hot, and I want to check on him if he's okay. So I was wondering if… you would mind if we leave soon?"

"Oh. No, of course I wouldn't mind! I'm just shadowing you, really." Prompto grinned wide to further assure him that it really was okay. "If your boyfriend's sick then we should definitely go."

"Alright. So sorry! If we go to another event, we'll stay longer, I swear."

"It's alright, really."

Prompto thought of offering to take their coats from the hanger, but then it occurred to him that he wasn't going to be there when Kingsglaive played their second slot. If he missed them tonight, who knows when he would be able to see them again?

"Hey, Dino…," Prompto called out, his voice uncertain. "Actually… is it okay if I take a few minutes before we leave?"

"Yeah, sure! Don't worry about it."

"Thanks. I'll be right back, promise."

Prompto flashed Dino a grateful smile before leaving the bar.

* * *

In the end, Prompto found Nyx outside, next to the artist's entrance. He was smoking by himself, and Prompto was beyond grateful to see him finally alone. When he approached Nyx, the man smiled, and Prompto found himself reflexively holding his breath.

"So… are you ready for your next show?" Prompto asked, and immediately saw Nyx shrug.

"As ready as I can be, I suppose," he answered. "You're gonna be there, too, right?"

"Yeah, about that…"

Prompto subconsciously scratched behind his head, "As it turns out, I can't make it, after all… I have to go now."

Nyx hummed. "Well, that is a bummer."

"Yeah…"

"Well, I guess it's a good thing I made you join our jamming, huh?"

Prompto chuckled before looking down to the ground. Warmth was slowly creeping up to his cheeks as his mind's eyes returned to the sights of Nyx singing on the emergency staircase, to no other audience except him. (And Pelna, too, although technically he was accompanying Nyx.)

"Um… I have something to give you."

Prompto pulled his business card out - the ink was shiny and the paper was warm, fresh out of the printing shop - and handed it to Nyx. The older man eyed the card with a mix of curiosity and confusion, so Prompto explained, "For you and your band, if you ever want to see the photos that I took tonight."

"Ah. For a second there I thought you were giving me your number."

Nyx grinned and took Prompto's card. In the process, the tip of his fingers brushed against Prompto's lightly.

"Well, I mean…" Prompto paused to gulp. The sound of his beating heart was so close to his ears at that point. "My number is also right there, if you want to use it."

"Hmm. That's true."

Nyx glanced down at the business card. A smirk made its way to his expression before he took the last drag from his cigarette and dropped the butt to the ground, crushing it with the tip of his boot. He looked at Prompto soon after, white smoke trail exiting the edges of his grin and framing the mischievous glint in his ice-blue eyes.

"I guess I'll see you around, then?"

A chuckle escaped Prompto's lips. There were so many things that he wanted to ask - things like, _where do you usually play?_ Or even, _can I come see your other shows sometimes?_

But Prompto asked none of those questions. Instead, he took a couple of steps forward, reached around Nyx's nape under his braids, and pulled the other man into a kiss. Nyx relented immediately, as if he had expected it all to happen. His palm ended up splayed on the small of Prompto's back and he kissed the younger man harder, his tongue trailing against Prompto's lips requesting entry. Prompto granted it, and Nyx took no delay before exploring around. He tasted of smoke and beer and leather, and a little bit of something sweet mixed in as well…

"... Nyx?"

Prompto pulled away as soon as he heard a woman's voice calling out Nyx's name. The strong arm around his waist kept him still, however. Soon enough, Prompto could hear footsteps, high heels clicking against steel steps.

"Right here, Crowe!" shouted Nyx, and the footsteps immediately stopped. "What do you need?"

"Tsk. Why don't you ask Luche yourself?" The woman - Crowe, Kingsglaive's bassist - asked back. Her tone sounded irritated, and Prompto could imagine her crossing her arms as she spoke. "He wants us on stage in 5."

"Already?"

"Yeah. Sound check, maybe. Who knows. Just get your ass moving."

The footsteps resounded again, but this time, they were going further away. Soon after, Nyx let Prompto go. His smirk returned when he looked down at the blond.

"I'll call you," he whispered before planting a quick peck on Prompto's cheek. Prompto opened his mouth to reply, but Nyx already turned around on his heel and jogged away.

* * *

Prompto found Dino's signature spiky hair among the parked cars not long after. From the way the older man waved enthusiastically in his direction, though, it seemed that Dino had spotted him first instead of the other way around.

But Dino's grin soon turned into a frown once Prompto got closer. "Huh? What happened to your cheeks?"

"Too much beer," quipped Prompto. "Can we please go now? Your boyfriend needs you, doesn't he?"

"Ah, yeah. Almost forgot about it."

As Dino started the car's engine, Prompto's thoughts couldn't help but wander to Nyx singing on stage, under the lights, then of him singing on the emergency staircase accompanied by a guitar. Then it all shifted to his smirk, blowing a cloud of smoke from a corner of his lips. Soon enough that said lips closed in on Prompto's, the rough stubble brushing against the tip of his cupid's bow…

Prompto smiled sheepishly and gripped at his camera bag a little bit tighter. He couldn't wait to see how the pictures that he'd taken that evening would turn out.

But most of all, he couldn't wait until his phone would finally ring.

**Author's Note:**

> Who knew that my first m/m fic would be a Promnyx...
> 
> Songs mentioned in this fic are [Circles](https://youtu.be/Vyx4JeyMJE0) by Dag Nasty and [I wanna be sedated](https://youtu.be/dfyuqzzIIIA) by The Ramones.


End file.
